Flying Lesson
by MrSkeeter
Summary: Lily Potter gave her arms an exasperated wave, "Toy brooms in the garden don't count. They're for babies. I'm six now." ... Just a little one shot spun off from a dream Harry had in my story 'The Between Years'. ... I don't own Harry Potter, yadda, yadda.


**Flying Lesson**

"Daddy."

"Hmm."

"I wanna learn how to fly."

"You already know how to fly Pumpkin."

Lily Potter gave her arms an exasperated wave, fixed her gaze on her father and fired off her argument, "Toy brooms in the back garden don't count. They're for babies. I want to fly a real broom. I'm six now, that's when you taught James and Al and they're out playing with their friends so they won't be in the way. Mommy is off to cover quidditch so she doesn't have to know and I already checked the weather. It's sunny with almost no wind, just perfect for flying. Pleeeeeassssse."

Harry Potter lifted his eyes from the parchment he was reading to look at his daughter. She stood before his desk holding her hands in front of her waist. Her face decorated with her best pleading expression, complete with imploring puppy dog eyes. Those eyes, her mother's eyes, he had never been able to resists those eyes. Sighing in resignation he released his grip on the parchment, allowing it to settle on the desk, "It's chilly, go put on a jumper."

With a squeal of delight Lily charged around the desk, leapt into her father's lap and wrapped him in a hug, "Thank you Daddy!"

Before he could finish responding, "You're welcome Pumpkin," she jumped from his lap and scampered out of the room. Chuckling to himself, Harry rose from the desk and headed upstairs to retrieve a jumper of his own. Reaching his bedroom, he searched through the wardrobe and decided his old Cannon's match day sweater was perfect for the occasion. He pulled it over his head and looked at his reflection in the mirror. Thanks to a strictly maintained workout regimen the man staring back at him appeared as if he could still fly a competitive match, even if he had gained a few pounds and his unkempt mane was flecked with hints of grey. Returning to the ground floor Harry made his way towards the kitchen and stopped in the doorway, laughing silently at the sight that greeted him.

Lily was trying to push the door open protesting, "Daddy is going to be right down Kreacher. He's giving me a flying lesson today and only went to put on a jumper."

"That is indeed most welcome and exciting news Mistress Lily," the loyal old elf replied in a calm voice while attempting to push the door closed. "However your father has appointed me head caretaker of his houses. It is much to cold outside and he would want the door be closed."

"I know he would Kreacher," Lily admitted, "But he's going to be right down."

"And when he arrives I am certain he shall be able to open the door and join you," Kreacher countered.

Deciding it was time to intervene, before either Lily or Kreacher became too frustrated and elevated their disagreement to a level they would both regret, Harry crossed the kitchen and took hold of the door. "It's alright Kreacher; I'll take it from here." The elf bowed and as he left the room Harry knelt down to be at face level with Lily. "Pumpkin, I know you're excited and I know you know that you could order Kreacher to do something and he'd have to do it." Lily nodded and Harry continued, "But I've made Kreacher responsible for keeping the house safe and comfortable for all of us, so if he says the door should be closed then close the door. Okay?"

Looking at the ground Lily mumbled, "I know Daddy, sorry."

Harry pulled his daughter into a hug and kissed the top of her head, "It's okay Pumpkin, no harm done. Now, what say we get you on a broom?"

Lily's excitement immediately returned and she bolted out the door, excitedly shuffling from foot to foot in front of the broom cupboard. As Harry closed the door behind them the words spilled from her mouth like a rapidly flowing river. "James' broom is better than Al's can I please us it, please, please, please, pretty please with cream and sugar on top?"

Harry tousled Lily's hair before waving his hand across the cupboard's door, removing the locking charm. "Your brother's brooms are exactly the same and will be for another year or two. Anyway I have a better idea for which broom you can use." He pulled the shed open and reached inside; removing the old Firebolt he'd flown for years.

Lily's eyes grew as wide with excitement, "You're going to let me use your broom!"

"No Pumpkin for you I have something better." Harry held the Firebolt at waist height and ordered, "Hover," before reaching back into the shed and removing a brand new Flyte and Barker Twigger 140. "I know it's not the best broom in the world but it's the same as your brothers' and for someone just learning to fly its perfect. In a few years, once you've mastered it, we'll get you something better."

Lily didn't move, she just looked at the broom in Harry's hands and whispered, "Mine?"

Harry smiled at his youngest child, "Yes. You said it yourself; you're the same age James and Al were when they learned how to fly. I've been waiting for a nice Saturday like today to surprise you, but you beat me to it this morning." When Lily still made no attempt to take the broom Harry lifted it towards her, "You need to hold it if you want to fly it."

Harry's words snapped Lily from her trance and she took the broom into her hands, held it at waist height and ordered, "Hover." Releasing the broom she jumped back as it fell to the ground at her feet with a rattle.

Harry laughed and bent to pick up the Twigger, "What say we work on that after you get the basics down." With a wink he added, "Even your Aunt Hermione has trouble with it and there isn't a spell she can't do. Except maybe…"

"Cast a hover charm," Lily giggled taking the Twigger from Harry's hands.

"Cast a hover charm," Harry agreed, adding, "Just about anything that has to do with flying actually." He grabbed the Firebolt with his right hand and held out his left for Lily, "Come on, let's walk down to the orchard. I bet you already know that your mother and I bought this property just before James was born, but I'm going to share a secrete with you, we choose it because of a dream I had about teaching you how to fly?"

Lily's face displayed a mix of surprise, delight and just a little doubt, at this revelation. She took her broom in her left hand; Harry's hand in her right and looked up at her father, "Really?"

"Really," Harry confirmed as they started to walk. "Way back when we were both still in school, but after we were engaged. You knew we were engaged during are seventh year, didn't you?" Lily nodded yes and Harry continued, "Anyway I had a couple of bad nights, couldn't sleep well, nightmares, that sort of thing. Then on the third night I dreamt that I was teaching my daughter to fly, a young witch with hair as red as her mother's. That's why when we decided to buy a place near Godric's Hollow to raise our family, and we found this property with an apple orchard in a small hidden valley, we had to have it. So you see dreams do sometimes come true. Just maybe not in the way fairy tales make it out to be."

There was just a hint of glee in Lily's voice as she asked, "And James and Al don't know?"

"James and Al don't know."

"Promise."

Harry snorted a quite laugh, "I promise." When they reached the orchard he took Lily's Twigger and laid it on the ground. "Now your toy brooms have always been charmed to hover on their own any time you held them level with the floor. The first thing you're going to have master with a real broom is getting it in the air. Hold your right hand over the broom and use the command 'up', no, no, don't straddle it, just hold your hand over it. That's right, now give it a go.

Lily's face scrunched with the effort of her concentration as she looked at the broom and shouted, "Up!" Nothing happened she tried again, this time pushing her arm towards the broom as she issued the command.

Harry placed his hand on Lily's arm, "You're trying too hard. I've seen you levitate the toys in your room…"

"No you haven't!" Lily protested. Harry arched his left eyebrow and looked down at his daughter, whose face reddened to match her hair, "Well maybe just a little. The first time was an accident but after that I figured out how to do it whenever I wanted. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't."

Smiling, Harry bent to kiss Lily on the top of her head, "It's okay pumpkin. Your mother and I aren't upset, just don't do it away from the house." Lily started to ask a question, but Harry cut across her, "Yes, Grandma's and Grandpa's house is fine, along with any of your Aunt's and Uncle's, but I think we're getting slightly off subject. Now, as I was saying, I've seen you levitate the toys in your room. Lifting a broom is really pretty much the same thing. Just clear you mind and picture the broom jumping into your hand, then clearly and confidently give the command."

Lily again took her place beside the broom, drew a deep breath and said, "Up." The broom sprang from the ground slapped into her hand, almost knocking her over. She looked at Harry beaming and in that uniquely little girl pitch squealed, "Daddy I did it!"

"Yes you did," Harry beamed right back at her. His voice remaining level, "But you didn't control it." He took the broom from Lily's hand and placed it back on the ground, "Let's try again."

Over and over Lily ordered her broom off the ground until; at last, she did it perfectly five times in a row. Then and only then did Harry allow her to mount the Twigger and slowly try flying around the orchard. The first attempt was less then successful. As Lily leaned forward to start flying, she shifted to far and crashed face first into the ground. Harry helped her to her feet, brushed off her face, ensured she was unhurt and reminded her that the Twigger would react much more quickly and violently to her movements then a toy broom. Her second try was more successful as she achieved level flight, but turning proved problematic. With Harry's gentle coaching Lily was soon holding her own, and by the time her brothers joined them she was up for a game of follow the leader. A game Harry made certain was played at a speed much too pedestrian for James' liking. Al on the other hand found it, "Aces" that Lily was flying with them and had no objection to flying at the pace dictated by his father.

The sun was half an orange ball on the horizon when Harry led his children from the orchard. As they crossed the back garden the kitchen door opened and Ginny stepped out of the house to greet them.

The moment she saw her mother Lily charged across the remaining distance shouting, "Mommy, Mommy, Daddy taught me how to fly a real broom! Thank you for the Twigger! It's wonderful! Watch!" Lily held her broom at waist level and commanded, "Hover." She removed her hand and the broom fell to the ground. Without missing a beat Lily smiled, "That's okay; Daddy says we can work on it." Holding her hand over the broom she said, "Up," and it immediately jumped into her hands. "Come and fly with me Mommy. Just once around the garden. Please."

"Yeah Mom, just once around the garden," James and Albus echoed.

"Just once around the garden," Ginny agreed. "Then its inside for a wash up, dinner is almost ready."

While Lily, Al and James cheered, Harry placed his Firebolt in the cupboard and fetched Ginny's for her. He handed it to her with a kiss. "Do you still need to file your story?"

Ginny gave Harry another kiss, "There will be time to owl it to the Prophet after dinner. The space is set aside, they only need my words."

Harry gave Ginny another kiss, prompting an "ew," from the boys. It wasn't that they weren't use to seeing their parent's displays of affection; it was just that three kisses in a row struck them as boarding on the unnatural.

Ginny and Harry exchanged grins before he turned to his children, "Hey kids has your Mother ever told you she learned to fly by sneaking out to the Burrow's broom shed without Grandma Weasley's permission?"

"What!" Lily squealed.

"Our mother?" Albus questioned.

"Interesting, let's have the details," was James' reaction.

"It's true," Harry assured them. "Well I'm going to go wash up for dinner but I'm sure she'll be willing to tell you all about it."

"You will pay for this Potter," Ginny threatened. The impish grin Harry had found electrifying since their school days flashing across her face.


End file.
